Series: Elements of Five #1
Audience: YA
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 19th 2019
My Rating: 4.5 Cups
Source: InkSlinger PR
Blurb (from Goodreads):
In her YA debut, New York Times bestselling author Carrie Ann Ryan dives into a world with magic and sacrifice with the Elements of Five.
Five hundred years ago, the Maison Realm was shattered, divided into warring kingdoms of elemental Wielders with fate and truth shadowed and uncertain. Now, factions of both the light and dark venture into the human realm in search of the prophesied Spirit Priestess who is said to Wield the Elements of Five and bring the two fractured kingdoms together.
Lyric has no idea that there’s a realm outside the human one she lives in. When fate and circumstances are pulled from her hands after an accident, and she finds out that nothing is at it seems.
There is a war surrounding her and when Lyric realizes that they are searching for her, she must rely on those she once trusted: a boy who isn’t who she thought, and a new realm of warriors who have come to protect her as she trains.
For the darkness is coming, and the Queen of Obscurité wants to ensure that the King of Lumière can’t get his hands on Lyric. And the only way to ensure that is if Lyric herself is no more…no matter the cost to prophecy.
*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from InkSlinger PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.
Having been a fan of Carrie Ann Ryan's works for a few years now, I'm always ready to try out anything she writes. I was excited to hear about her upcoming venture in the YA genre, so when I got the opportunity to do so, I jumped at the occasion to read an advance copy of her book. I am happy to say that this book was just as good as I imagined.From Breath And Ruin starts off really strong and continues to be like that all the way through to the last page. I love books that have nightmares in them, and Lyric, the heroine, has some pretty scary ones in the beginning of this book. I love the fact that she's exposed to this other world through her nightmares first, and then the veil is slowly pulled away in the real world, so much so that she's not sure what is happening to her, and it really makes the story that much more exciting.
Lyric was an interesting character. I identified with her so much, especially in the beginning, when she was talking about not being able to decide what she wanted to do in college. I remember having those same fears, those same doubts when it was time for me to pick a university, because I didn't feel like I had enough life experience to pick one career over the other, nor did I want to be in a position where I'd have to start over once I realized my choice wasn't good for me. So when Lyric talks about her struggle to pick something, to make a choice, I totally understood her, and I was nodding along with that entire passage.
The entire time reading the book I was questioning everyone's motives. I wasn't sure who Rhodes was, if his intentions were as pure as they sounded in the beginning, if Emory had a hidden reason for why she was being so mean all the time, if Braelynn was as understanding and as open-minded as she seemed, and even Rosamond was a bit suspicious. I'll let you guys discover for yourselves which of these people isn't what they seem, but be prepared to be surprised.
While stories of magical realms, special people and hideous monsters aren't new for the YA genre, Carrie manages to make these themes seem fresh and new. Her way with words is what made me want to read this book in the first place, and there aren't many authors I'd trust to go from adult books to YA books, but I think Carrie did an amazing job.
All in all, this book was a fantastic way to start a series and I can't wait to see what happens next.
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Audio (Read by Bailey Carr):
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About the ELEMENTS OF FIVE series
One thousand years ago, there was one realm of magic. The Maison Realm. It held five kingdoms with five kings or queens, who worked together to keep the Maison people safe and ensure the balance of magic. Over the last five hundred years following the Fall, the great war that began the fracture, many of the kingdoms’ inhabitants intermated, and the magics soon became tied to one another in pairs. Except for the Spirit Wielders. The two remaining kingdoms are now converging, and the veil between the two is fading. Only the human realm lies between the two, and no one there knows there is a war surrounding them.
Over time, certain children of the Fall began to leave their respective kingdoms to venture into the human realm in search of the prophesied Spirit Priestess who is said to wield the Elements of Five and bring the two fractured kingdoms together. For the realms are dying without their sister magics. And soon, there will be no more power left to rule the kingdoms, for there will be no more kingdoms left to rule.
